Lanterns isn't heading in the direction many fans expected. Rather than taking place in the cosmos, it will be a grounded, True Detective-inspired adventure on Earth, and perhaps even a passing of the torch from Hal Jordan to his Sector 2814 replacement, John Stewart.
It's been widely reported that Kyle Chandler has only signed up to star in Lanterns, meaning he could be a one-and-done in the DCU. For many fans, the spotlight being put on John is long overdue. For others, this is doing Hal and his story arc a major disservice.
Those familiar with the comics will know how differently Hal and John approach situations. The latter's Green Lantern constructs are typically inspired by either his time in the military or his work as an architect, and this trend is now confirmed to carry over into the upcoming HBO series.
"One thing we attacked from the beginning was that the Green Lantern powers, a lot of it is based in creativity," showrunner Chris Mundy explained in a recent interview with Men's Health. "To manifest things from the Lantern rings, you've got to manifest something from your brain—but also kind of from your soul. What does that look like? What does it feel like?"
"I imagine it's not much different than being a sculptor or a painter. And Aaron had to be able to sell that John could have that ability. And that's what he did. He understood that John would appreciate that aspect of their powers. We always joked that Hal just wants to hit everything with a big, green fist."
The Lanterns showrunner continued, "[John] was a Marine sniper, which requires a certain kind of focus and diligence. After the Marines, he becomes an architect, so there's an artistic side to him. Those are a lot of elements that an actor has got to be able to project. And Aaron is someone who understands that physicality as a trained theater actor."
"We talked a lot about that how being a Marine is John's job, but it's not his entire personality. He's as much an artist as he is a Marine," Mundy noted. "There's a real balance of the physical and the artistic that's just innately inside of Aaron, and I think it's essential."
Teasing the antagonistic relationship between Hal and John, Mundy said that Hal has "kind of a throwback Chuck Yeager vibe to him. He's the kind of guy who you meet, and you don't know whether you like him or you want to punch him." John, meanwhile, has "a quiet authority about him, and I think that's important to their dynamic, to the story we're telling."
In The New Frontier, Hal plays a pivotal role in defeating The Centre, a villain who is widely believed to be the DCU's big bad. In the main DC Universe, the hero was possessed by Parallax and became one of its greatest villains.
DC Studios may head down neither route, but with 54-year-old Nathan Fillion playing Guy Gardner, it does rather look like the plan is to focus on John as the DCU's Green Lantern. Whether characters like Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz will eventually join him remains to be seen.
Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country) is serving as showrunner and executive producer and will write Lanterns with Damon Lindelof (Watchmen) and comic book scribe Tom King (Supergirl). The cast includes Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, and Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro.
Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Nicole Ari Parker, Jason Ritter, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Jasmine Cephas Jones round out the cast.
Lanterns is set to premiere on HBO in 2026.